Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints, Brightlingsea

This parish church is a complex medieval building constructed and remodelled over several centuries. The chancel, north and south chapels date from the 13th century, and around this time the three eastern bays of the nave and aisles were rebuilt. In the 15th century the south arcade was rebuilt using old materials and the aisle remodelled. The substantial west tower was built in the 15th century to the west of the church and completed around 1490–1500, when the nave was lengthened westward to join it. Around 1518 a south vestry was added, followed around 1520 by an eastern extension to the north chapel, which then became the Lady Chapel. Around 1530–40 the north aisle was reconstructed up to the early 16th-century west bay. The south porch dates from the early 16th century. In around 1814 the roofs and clerestory collapsed. The church underwent restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The walls are of flint rubble, with flint flushwork to the east bay of the north chapel, south vestry and west tower. Dressings are of Reigate stone, Barnack stone and other freestones. The roofs are mainly of grey slate with some lead.

The chancel has a plastered east wall with a 15th-century east window of three cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery, a moulded two-centred head and label. The crenellations of the lean-to north and south chapels continue through the aisles, with a moulded band beneath.

The north chapel's east wall has a window dating from around 1520 with three cinquefoiled lights, vertical tracery and a two-centred head. The plinth and eastern buttress feature flint flushwork panels, with similar flushwork to the crenellations and band beneath. The plinth carries motifs of shields, one displaying the sacred monogram and others bearing variations of the Beriffe family merchants' marks. The north wall is buttressed between the window bays. The two eastern windows, dating from around 1520, each have three cinquefoiled ogee lights with transoms and vertical tracery, segmental heads and moulded labels. The three eastern aisle windows, dating from around 1510, each have three cinquefoiled lights with four-centred heads and moulded labels. The western window has three ogee cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery and a segmental pointed head. Between the two central windows is the 14th-century north doorway with sunk chamfered jambs, a two-centred arch, and double doors each of three panels.

The south chapel has high up in its east wall an early 16th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with cusped spandrels, a square head and moulded label. The south wall window matches those in the north wall of the north chapel. Further west is a 16th-century doorway with moulded jambs carved with square flowers, and a four-centred head. The door is of nailed plank-and-muntin construction.

The south aisle has its two eastern windows similar to those in the south chapel. The two western windows are similar to the western windows in the north aisle. The 13th-century south doorway is positioned between the second and third windows, with a two-centred arch of two chamfered orders and a moulded label with stops. Buttresses separate the window bays.

The early 16th-century south porch is of flint flushwork with a moulded and ornamented plinth and crenellated returns. The gable has horizontal ends with a band decorated with Tudor roses and shields. The two-centred archway has two moulded orders: the inner with capitals and bases to attached shafts, the outer order on the south side carved with square flowers, diadems and shields, and on the north side with shields hanging from straps, some bearing scratches that may be masons' marks. The double moulded label encloses a square outer head carved with square flowers. The foliated spandrels contain shields, one bearing St Peter's keys and the other St Paul's swords, each accompanied by a small ship. Above the arch and in each side buttress is a niche with moulded pedestal, trefoiled cusped and crocketted head, cresting and flanking buttresses. Each side wall has a window of three depressed trefoiled lights with crenellated tracery, a segmental pointed head and moulded label.

The west tower, dating from around 1500, is of flint flushwork and is crenellated with four stages separated by bands. The buttresses each have canopied niches with moulded pedestals and crocketted canopies, with ribbed vaults to the first six half-stages. The north-east stair turret has quatrefoiled lights and a pierced parapet decorated with shield, star and rose motifs. The plinth is moulded and ornamented. The west doorway has moulded and double-shafted jambs, a two-centred arch with a square head, and a moulded, crocketted and finialed ogee label carried through the square head. The spandrels are carved with oak foliage. The door is of plank-and-muntin construction with remains of tracery. The second stage has a west window of four cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery above, a two-centred head and an ogee label. The third stage has north, south and west windows each of two ogee lights with vertical tracery and transoms, four-centred heads and labels above; the east wall has a similar window but without a transom. Each wall of the bell chamber has a window of three transomed cinquefoiled ogee lights with tracery above, moulded two-centred heads and labels.

Inside, the nave and chancel roofs are 19th-century work with moulded wall plates. The tie beams support nine graduated trefoiled arches with a central semi-circular arch. The bosses may be original. The chancel floor is brick, while the nave floor is of red and black tiles.

The chancel has a 19th-century panelled reredos with effigies of two saints and 19th-century stained glass in some windows. In the south wall, dating from around 1530, is a four-centred arch, east of which is a doorway of similar date with stop-chamfered jambs, a four-centred arch in a square head, and traceried spandrels with rose and fleur-de-lis. Further east is a 13th-century lancet. The north wall has a 16th-century four-centred shafted arch and an arch dating from around 1300 with a chamfered two-centred profile of two orders, semi-octagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases, and an eastern 13th-century lancet window. The 16th-century vestry door is of moulded battens with strap hinges. A 15th-century niche in the south wall has a double cinquefoiled canopy with crockets, finials and cresting. The cill of the south-east window is carried down to form a seat. On the north wall is a large monument to Nicholas Magens (died 1764), a German-born Lord of the Manor, by N. Read. It features a central globe with a winged female figure to the left holding a scroll, and to the right a putto seated on a large cornucopia. The background depicts ships, cargo and an anchor, with cherubs and cherub heads above.

The north or Beriffe chapel has a brick floor and a simple lean-to roof. The east window contains 20th-century stained glass by Caroline Swash. Niches, now cut back, flank this window with remains of colour, ribbed canopies and remains of crocketted heads. A hatchment hangs on the south wall. Two painted wood cut-out "watcher" figures are present. A coffin lid, possibly 13th-century, lies on the floor. Not seen at the time of re-survey were seven brasses to the Beriffe family, all dating from the 15th or 16th century, two of which are in the north aisle.

The north aisle has a lean-to roof with moulded principals. A northern window contains 17th-century stained glass said to be Flemish. Other furnishings include a chest with barrel lid, a carved wooden coat of arms, a table made from timber of a demolished house called Sayers (formerly of Victoria Place, Brightlingsea), and a 20th-century wood-carved figure entitled 'Celestial Mary' by John Doubleday.

Running through the nave and south aisle is a band of 211 square memorial tiles dating from 9 December 1872 to 18 May 1973. Each tile records the name, age, cause of death by drowning or the sinking of a ship, the ship's name, and place and time of death. The memorial was started by Reverend A. Pertwee, who intended to record each Brightlingsea mariner lost at sea whilst pursuing his calling; in later years tiles have been added for every Brightlingsea person whose death is attributed to the sea.

The south aisle has a simple lean-to roof. A round-headed arch is positioned west of the south doorway. East of the south doorway is a stoup with a 15th-century chamfered two-centred arch and round drain.

The south chapel contains a floor slab to Francis Wheeler (died 1692), his wife Susan (died 1679) and their son Francis (died 1694). A 16th-century niche in the south wall contains an image of a bishop with the head missing. A niche in the east wall has a cinquefoiled head, ribbed vault, carved crockets and cresting, a head to one jamb, remains of colour and a black-letter inscription below. A 16th-century niche in the splay of the south window has a double cinquefoiled head, crocketted and crested canopy, and remains of colour. The piscina has sunk chamfered jambs carved with flowers, a cinquefoiled head and carved drain.

The vestry has a square-headed recess with an elbow bend in the south wall, possibly a 16th-century oven.

The nave has a five-bay north arcade. The three eastern bays date from around 1300 with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders, octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases. The two western bays are 16th-century with two-centred arches of two moulded orders, the inner resting on shafted jambs. The south arcade is similar but the three eastern bays were rebuilt in the 15th century using old material. There are 15th-century niches with ogee heads in the second pier of the north arcade and the second pier of the south arcade; this south pier also has a 15th-century trefoiled niche.

The west tower has a two-centred tower arch of three orders, the two outer continuous, the inner with attached shafts and moulded capitals and bases. A timber stair turret, probably dating from around 1500, has interlocked vertically boarded walls and leads to a first-floor gallery of similar date with moulded joists to the floor. The front has moulded uprights and rail. An octagonal central opening has been cut through the floor and has a 17th- or 18th-century balustrade repeated around the top of the staircase. The third stage has a fine ceiling of moulded and chamfered beams with moulded wall posts and arched braces springing from moulded capitals. Not seen at the time of re-survey were four lockers rebated for doors in the third stage, also a 16th-century wall painting with a name, possibly Robert Cooe, on the west wall. A piscina in the first stage has a round drain; its date is unknown. A staircase door dating from around 1500 is of nail-studded battens with strap hinges.

The 15th-century font is octagonal with quatrefoil panels enclosing a rose. The soffit is carved with flowers and is coloured and gilded.

There are said to be two bells, one by William Dawe dating from around 1400 and inscribed "Dulcis Sisto Melis Vocor Campana Michaelis". The Sanctus bell is uninscribed.

The tower was used as a guiding light. It is recorded that Canon Arthur Pertwee, vicar from 1872 to 1912, even in his old age climbed the tower to provide lantern light to the fishing fleet entering the harbour. A chart dated 1590 gives Brightlingsea Church as a navigation mark. The tower was also used as a meeting chamber for the election of the Deputy of Brightlingsea, a limb of the Cinque Port of Sandwich.